Tag: Great Books

  • The schedule

    I am following Dr J’s reading plan from the Western Tradition. It is a 7 year plan to read the entire Great Books of the Western World and Gateway to the Great Books. Unfortunately it seems to have been abandoned part way through, though he does seem to take extended breaks at times and return so there’s hope! Failing that, I would hope that if I ever make it to where he got up to, I might be in a better position to continue on my own…

    Each volume of the Gateway to the Great Books contains many snippets of other works, whereas the ‘actual’ Great Books tends to contain complete works. Therefore , it is unfeasible at this time to try and collect these too (though I have bought a couple of books containing some of the writing).

    If the goal was to read them all (which is should be!) most, if not at all writings can be found online.

  • The Odyssey

    It is my ambition to collect the Great Books of the Western World. I should probably read them too, but I am much better at obtaining books than reading them! I don’t want the volumes, as originally published by Britannica, with bible-thin paper and tiny text. My idea is to select nice editions such as the Landmark Histories, or the Arden Shakespeare.

    The first, as I set out on this journey, is appropriately Homer’s Odyssey. I have chosen the Robert Fagles translation – it seems very popular. I have owned this for a while and have even read it! Though it probably bears a re-read at some point. My son recently had a homework based on the Cyclops. I reviewed that chapter (or book) and it was more readable than I remember so I might have another go at the whole lot in the new year.